Tonight’s Opinion Brief is brought to you by the Humanitarian Coalition, now 7 Canadian aid agencies working together to save more lives during international humanitarian disasters.
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Good evening, subscribers. What would it take to turn immigration into a serious political flashpoint in this country — to change it from a boutique obsession of a portion of the Conservative party base to something that topples governments?

We may be dangerously close to finding out, says Tasha Kheiriddin. By taking a hands-off approach to the swelling tide of asylum seekers crossing illegally from the United States, she writes, the Trudeau government could end up fostering broader political frustration over what ought to be a manageable problem. “Keep in mind, it’s not Ottawa which will bear the brunt of dealing with illegal immigrants; provinces and municipalities will.”

Speaking of Trumpian political chaos — ex-pat Canadian journalist Terry McConnell reports from California on that state’s burgeoning secession movement. It’s no joke; California is the largest, wealthiest state in the Union — and it’s been reacting to Trump’s immigration pogrom with widespread disgust. “California has the largest immigrant population in the Union — approximately 10 million, a quarter of them undocumented. If you’re not an immigrant in California, you know one. Or two. Or more.”

And from the Macdonald-Laurier institute we bring you foreign policy academics Aurel Braun and Stephen Blank with a report on Russia’s aggressive territorial moves in the High Arctic, and what they portend for Canadian sovereignty. “There is no reason to believe that negotiations with NATO partners would devolve into violent military escalation. The relationship and situation with Russia is very different, and Canada should be alert to possible Arctic risks.”